Iraqi Parliament Delays First Session as ISIS Troubles Continue

CNN – After much anticipation over how it would address the country’s turmoil, Iraq’s new parliament postponed its first session until next week, citing a lack of a quorum.

The move came after 90 members of parliament failed to return after a 30-minute morning break during the scheduled session Tuesday.

“We are going to postpone because of an urgent matter,” the speaker of the parliament said. He did not say what the urgent matter was, and it was not immediately clear what happened.

The newly elected parliament convened with 255 out of 328 elected officials attending, which was enough for a legal quorum, the speaker said. But when many failed to return after the break, there were not enough members to continue.

Many expected Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to call for the formation of a new government Tuesday as Iraq battles militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.